Ute football: Nine unresolved issues face the Utes going forward

SALT LAKE CITY — Everybody has eyes on Ute quarterback Travis Wilson's development, but that's not the only compelling storyline in Utah's football camp this spring.

Wilson's development will be key to the success of Utah's on-the-field product to be sure, so it is with good reason that U. fans want to know how he has progressed. There are, however, several other cogs in the machine that may make or break the Utes in 2013.

Whether it be the linebackers, the offensive line, the receivers or special teams, no one position group is completely absent of intrigue. Some problems the Utes are staring down will be resolved shortly; others may persist all the way to December, especially if injuries come into play.

With all that's been said of Utah's upcoming third year in the Pac-12, here are nine storylines that may have flown under the radar, plus a little treat for Ute football fans at the end:

1) Will the D tackle
replacements be able to replicate the efforts of past DTs?2) Will we see
improvement, preferably substantial, from the O line?3) How will the new
cornerbacks, a key to Utah's scheme, play?

"Brian Blechen, among the most talented defenders on the Utah roster, is
expected to make the full-time switch from safety to linebacker this
season." -- Landon Hemsley

I thought it'd already been
reported last year that Blechen was having difficulty putting on, and keeping,
the requisite weight to be successful at the LB position, so why are we moving
him from the Safety spot? Are we so deep there, and so thin at LB, that the
switch is necessary?

Blechen was really pretty horrible at pass coverage last year. I suspect that
in the pass happy PAC12, Utah needs better pass coverage from it's strong
safety, hence the move to linebacker. That said, he was not the best at
shedding blockers two seasons ago when he played more linebacker than safety.
Should be interesting.

Blechen's Switch to LB is a good one. He is much better suited for covering
TE's and RB's versus WR's like Marques Lee plus his instincts and
big play ability are sorely needed at that position. At safety he was a touch
slow at LB he will actually bring the lateral speed that was missing last year.

I'm surprised the D Line was not listed. I'm still left wondering
after the scrimmage if the running game is really as good as reported, or just a
function of a weak D Line. Star and Krueger are big losses.

A few things that can be taken away from Spring Reports:#1- Defense has
given up a LOT of running yards. 3/4 string RB Carl Williams ran for over
100yds in the last scrimmage.#2- QB play is still struggling. Maybe due
to improvement in the secondary, but Wilson has not been impressive this
Spring.#3- It is hard to know if RB production is more due to improved
play by the O-line and RB's or just a big drop off along the d-line.#4- Secondry looks to be reloading after losing both starting corners. But
once again this could be due to poor WR/QB play.#5- The 2013 recruiting
class is already making an impact. Shows recruiting in PAC-12 is improving.

Spring football is mainly to allow coaches to make adjustments to
personell, give walk-ons and new recruits the opportunity to prove themselves,
and determine position depth and target needs for recruiting. Nobody should put
too much weight on Spring Reports. In my opinion, Utah will have another losing
season in 2013-14 (With toughest schedule in school history) before making a
jump in '14-'15 or '15-'16